By the time Yezi finished her makeshift lesson, the sun had nestled in closer to the sea. Another hour or so and its expansive embrace will have dipped out of sight, laying to rest the busy bustle of today.

Yezi stretched her arms out as a softened war cry invaded the space around her. "Let's give it a go, Jaebum," she said before Youngjae had time to say whatever it was he was coming to say. In a matter of seconds, her fingers were gliding over the keys. One skip forward, three pushes down and a hearty hop to the right. On the other end, Jaebum was doing his own dance with a hand that while not as graceful as Yezi's, was equally as flexible.

The last few chords climbed higher into the air and only when they finished relaying their pent-up wishes and desires, did they disperse into a hazy wave of whatever magnificence they once held. The last of the notes came after, swelling in loudness and cheerfulness until they, too, were carried away on the current that should have resounded through the hearts of anyone who listened in.

The piece was beautiful but Yezi had failed to play with the passion of someone in tune to the music. Youngjae reasoned that she was tired or going through some melodramatic fight with her friends; anything that didn't revert to the image of her hands dropping to her sides a breath away from having secured her hair into a bun.

It was something she did every practice session so her failing to do it now meant her pain was something that went deeper below the average issues of growing children. Youngjae could only hope it would be resolved by tomorrow's practice. Better yet, be completely nonexistent. Maybe he was worrying too much and for little to nothing of an issue.

Yezi beamed as Jaebum started to clap next to her. Youngjae reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You did good." He turned to Jaebum and after a moment of silence, added on: "You did good, too."

Yezi cheered and attacked Jaebum's bicep in a flurry of fists. Unprepared for the attack, he nearly tumbled backwards.

"Now it's time to head home." Youngjae made his way back towards the kitchen.

Yezi bowed at Jaebum before heading off to retrieve her bag. "Oh, and is," she said with a wicked grin as she leaned in closer to Jaebum's ear.

On her way to the foyer, the smell of fried onions and baked bread filled her nostrils. Her stomach grumbled. "Youngjae, do you mind if I take-" She was cut short by the feel of a paper bag being into her face.

"Take some home to your mom and dad, too."

Before she had time to thank Youngjae, her phone rang. She groaned. It was Mr. Hoon.

"Bye, Youngjae," she said as she hurried out of the kitchen to the foyer. "Bye, Jaebum," she yelled over her shoulder as the door slammed shut behind her.

Jaebum turned to Youngjae. "Can we make a part of our daily routine?"

A heat curled over Youngjae's ears and whether it was because he was upset with Yezi for having told him or because he was embarrassed, mattered little as he fumbled with the buns lining the pan.

Absolutely not.

Youngjae had to think of the impossible. Something Jaebum would never be able to do so that he couldn't continue pestering him about it. The idea came to him in a blaze that scorched all other ideas away. "If you learn how to bake an Eclair before the next morning."

Jaebum would never succeed. It had taken Youngjae multiple tries to simply get the bread to fluff up enough to fill it with the custard and on top of that, he would hide whatever materials he had on hand that were needed to bake it. Plus, there was no way Jaebum could know Yezi belonged to a family of bakers. Yes, the plan would work.

"An Eclair? What's that?"

"Not part of the deal. Now, tell me about today. Did the need to throw-up ever surface?"

"No. I ate the entire roll without problem."

Youngjae handed Jaebum the bun in his hand. "Good. Eat one of these."

Jaebum ate it without so much as chewing it.

"You'll never savor the moment if you do things too quick."

Jaebum looked down as if scolded. "Sorry."

Youngjae sighed. "Don't apologize. I'm not upset." He reached out and grabbed another bun from the plate. "Would you like another one?"

"Yes, please." 

This time Jaebum meticulously chewed it, paying particular attention to the way he let his tongue embrace the taste. When he swallowed the last of it, he said: "That was really delicious." He his lips. "Youngjae, why don't you become a chef?"

"I don't think mixing hobby and work is the best way to go about living life."  He grabbed two buns. The warm cheese was beginning to leak out, making Youngjae's stomach clench at the sight. He took one huge bite. "Have as many as you like," he mumbled.

Youngjae walked out towards the bookshelf. He stopped before the chair next to it and picked up the book Jaebum and Yezi had been reading earlier. He listlessly thumbed through the pages, stopping on a two-page diagram of whatever magical land was written about within the novel. Yezi might not be two anymore but she certainly couldn't deny the fact that she still enjoyed stories full of enchantment.

The mermaid pond was of particular interest. Curious, Youngjae looked over the rest and discovered that the diagram was of an underwater city. He shut the book and true enough to his suspicions, the title of the book read: Meyerf and the Lost Sea Kingdom. A tale of a fish who succeeded in saving his kingdom after he gave up the love of his life: a human. The price? His heart.

"Is what's described in here anything remotely like your home?" Youngjae asked with skepticism at the same time that Jaebum spoke up.

"Is there anything we can do to make her feel better?"

The question caught Youngjae offguard. He nearly yanked a page out of the book. Regaining his collectiveness, Youngjae tightened his grip so he wouldn't let the book slip again. He looked over at Jaebum and wondered just how much of his original instincts carried over during his transformation. Youngjae knew that fish were more in tune to their surroundings—like any other animal—but in looking at Jaebum with a face that hid not a gram of his worry, You